Berlin (or Tip-Toe Through The Lindens)
Feb 15th, 2016, 02:07 PM
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Berlin (or Tip-Toe Through The Lindens)
I’ve just got back from a week in Berlin - part of which was spent at a conference, and part of which was leisure time to explore Germany’s capital under my own steam.
Berlin most certainly is not Disneyfied chocolate box cobbled and cuckoo clocked Europe, but if you have an interest in 20th century history (and how could you not, when it shapes our every waking moment), art and design, plus a smattering of very good baking, read on, as their might be something here that will appeal to you.
I am starting with photos to whet your appetite – you’ll have to keep following if you want an explanation of some of the more obscure subjects.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/494523...57664612975436
Sunday.
I don’t like flying and miraculously managed to persuade work to pay for a train ticket instead of a flight. I’m only 20 minutes or so from London, so although slower than a plane, the trip was nonetheless relatively straightforward - Eurostar to Brussels Midi, then Thalys/ICE trains on to Berlin via Cologne. Absolutely nothing remarkable about the journey – all on time, lubricated by coffee and pain au chocolat at regular intervals. The Thalys train had free wifi (vive la France!) and old fashioned attendants in peaked caps who stood by the doors at every major stop, ostensibly to welcome passengers aboard and check tickets, in reality to puff and gasp on Gitanes.
I arrived at Berlin Hauptbanhof around 8pm – a monumental structure where international, S-bahn and U-bahn trains come and go on multiple different levels like a scene from Metropolis. Grabbing a taxi from the Europlaza exit I was at my first hotel – Maritim ProArte Mitte – just 5 minutes later.
The Maritim ProArte doesn’t look all that swish on Booking.com, but it turned out to be a very decent base. Sure the décor is getting a little tired (threadbare carpets in some rooms), but I really liked the 70s Italian styling, with an eclectic portfolio of original art throughout the building. The housekeeping was good, rooms were a decent size, bathrooms had both bath and shower in them, large wardrobes with tons of hangers, a number of free items allowed from the minibar every day, friendly staff, a couple of decent onsite bars and cafes, civilised midday checkout, and best of all, what I think is a pretty much unbeatable location, 5 minutes walk in one direction to the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag, 5 minutes the other way to museum island, plus barely 200m meters from Friedrichstrasse S-bahn station.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/mari...=total;ucfs=1&
Post conference exploration to follow…
Berlin most certainly is not Disneyfied chocolate box cobbled and cuckoo clocked Europe, but if you have an interest in 20th century history (and how could you not, when it shapes our every waking moment), art and design, plus a smattering of very good baking, read on, as their might be something here that will appeal to you.
I am starting with photos to whet your appetite – you’ll have to keep following if you want an explanation of some of the more obscure subjects.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/494523...57664612975436
Sunday.
I don’t like flying and miraculously managed to persuade work to pay for a train ticket instead of a flight. I’m only 20 minutes or so from London, so although slower than a plane, the trip was nonetheless relatively straightforward - Eurostar to Brussels Midi, then Thalys/ICE trains on to Berlin via Cologne. Absolutely nothing remarkable about the journey – all on time, lubricated by coffee and pain au chocolat at regular intervals. The Thalys train had free wifi (vive la France!) and old fashioned attendants in peaked caps who stood by the doors at every major stop, ostensibly to welcome passengers aboard and check tickets, in reality to puff and gasp on Gitanes.
I arrived at Berlin Hauptbanhof around 8pm – a monumental structure where international, S-bahn and U-bahn trains come and go on multiple different levels like a scene from Metropolis. Grabbing a taxi from the Europlaza exit I was at my first hotel – Maritim ProArte Mitte – just 5 minutes later.
The Maritim ProArte doesn’t look all that swish on Booking.com, but it turned out to be a very decent base. Sure the décor is getting a little tired (threadbare carpets in some rooms), but I really liked the 70s Italian styling, with an eclectic portfolio of original art throughout the building. The housekeeping was good, rooms were a decent size, bathrooms had both bath and shower in them, large wardrobes with tons of hangers, a number of free items allowed from the minibar every day, friendly staff, a couple of decent onsite bars and cafes, civilised midday checkout, and best of all, what I think is a pretty much unbeatable location, 5 minutes walk in one direction to the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag, 5 minutes the other way to museum island, plus barely 200m meters from Friedrichstrasse S-bahn station.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/mari...=total;ucfs=1&
Post conference exploration to follow…
Feb 15th, 2016, 02:53 PM
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Actually I have forgotten to mention one very noteworthy thing from my outbound journey. Shortly after leaving Cologne for Berlin we passed through a sizeable town called Wuppertal. Houses were set into steeply wooded escarpments leading down to a fast flowing river. Following the course of the river (in fact hanging right over it) I saw a bizarre metal structure like a giant rollercoaster made from huge green Meccano pieces. The rollercoaster went on for miles.
My first thought was that this was some sort of mining structure – possibly a conveyer for ore or some other material. However, when searching for Wuppertal on Google, I discovered that what I was looking at was in fact a suspended monorail, dating to 1901, and unique in its specific design. I was further astonished to read that the Schwebebahn as it is properly known is still in use today, and currently carries circa 4 million passengers a year (25 million at its peak). Had I not been on a schedule I would have loved to get off and explore the town and monorail properly. I found the structure both fascinating and slightly sinister, with somewhat machine-age looking stations and turning loops scattered along its considerable length.
Info here:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wupper...ension_Railway
My first thought was that this was some sort of mining structure – possibly a conveyer for ore or some other material. However, when searching for Wuppertal on Google, I discovered that what I was looking at was in fact a suspended monorail, dating to 1901, and unique in its specific design. I was further astonished to read that the Schwebebahn as it is properly known is still in use today, and currently carries circa 4 million passengers a year (25 million at its peak). Had I not been on a schedule I would have loved to get off and explore the town and monorail properly. I found the structure both fascinating and slightly sinister, with somewhat machine-age looking stations and turning loops scattered along its considerable length.
Info here:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wupper...ension_Railway
Feb 16th, 2016, 06:42 AM
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Tuesday.
I’ve not included Monday as it was entirely devoted to my antibody conference (7am to 7pm!) and I didn’t leave the confines of the hotel all day. Tuesday involved another day of talks and networking – however, I was finished by 5:30pm and had a couple of hours free before I was scheduled to meet a friend for dinner, so ventured out for some fresh air.
As I mentioned in my first post, the hotel was only 5 minutes walk to the Brandenburg Gate, so I headed in that direction, light drizzle in the air, but relatively mild temperatures. You’ve probably seen thousands of photos of the Brandenburg gate, but the scale of this structure doesn’t really hit you until you visit in person. This vast 18th century triumphal arch was badly damaged in WW2 and not fully restored until the 21st century. It was also the site of one of the east-west border checkpoints in the cold war years. At night the gate is beautifully lit, to great effect with the horses and their chariot all gold and green on top of the arch.
A few minutes walk further on, past a closed wurst stand, I came to the Reichstag, the german parliament building, again vast in scale, and again masterfully illuminated, even the rain drenched flags beautifully bathed in light (as they wrapped themselves soggily round their poles in the breeze!). The Reichstag was damaged by fire in the early 1930s, survived WW2, but had to wait until reunification for complete restoration, overseen by the architect Norman Foster in the 1990s. I think I could probably have gone in to explore even though I was visiting 'out of hours' as such, because I saw a fair number of people processing through a portacabin at the front of the building; however dinner called, so I snapped a few quick snaps and wound up my brief walking tour.
Strolling slowly in the direction of the hotel, reviewing my pictures as I went, I noticed that some of the photos had weird amoeba like creatures seemingly hanging in the grey night skies. After a brief bit of unnecessary panicking that my camera might be broken I eventually realised that a few tiny raindrops were sitting on the lens, distorting my images. A quick wipe with my t-shirt and all was well, though I didn’t really have time to return to the Reichstag to take better photos before dinner. I resolved to come back another night to take some more shots (though never actually made it).
Walking back up Dorotheenstrasse I noticed for the first time the Fernsehturm, the old east german 60s television tower, one of the tallest structures in Europe, dominating the skyline to the north-east. The tower was almost torn down at the time the wall came down, seen as a symbol of the austere GDR years, but narrowly avoided destruction and is now one of the iconic symbols of the city. There's a rotating cafe at the top and I mentally pencilled in a visit (which again, never happened - detecting a theme here?!). Few more pictures snapped – again some of them compromised by rain amoebas, but on this occasion I had no worries about building up my photo archive later in the trip in better weather as the tower is visible from all over the city.
Back at the Maritim, I got dried off and then met up with my friend Gareth for a bite to eat in the Restaurant Berlin Tapas, around the back of the hotel. This was surprisingly good pitstop, with yummy things like generous whorls of salmon on potato rosti, german beer-battered chicken, and a mini version of the famous currywurst. I had been warned off the currywurst, but actually quite enjoyed it – pork sausage in a sweet and sour-like sauce. I had a couple of glasses of Riesling, Gareth a couple of beers, and the whole thing made all the sweeter by charging it to a company credit card at the end! The staff spoke good english and were friendly and helpful, although they underestimated how much we'd likely need to eat and we had to reorder our favourites all over again. Not an expensive outings - I think most of the tapas plates were only about 4 euros apiece.
Back up to my hotel room for a long soak in the bath before bed.
Next up – Nefertiti, apple strudel and cold war art!
I’ve not included Monday as it was entirely devoted to my antibody conference (7am to 7pm!) and I didn’t leave the confines of the hotel all day. Tuesday involved another day of talks and networking – however, I was finished by 5:30pm and had a couple of hours free before I was scheduled to meet a friend for dinner, so ventured out for some fresh air.
As I mentioned in my first post, the hotel was only 5 minutes walk to the Brandenburg Gate, so I headed in that direction, light drizzle in the air, but relatively mild temperatures. You’ve probably seen thousands of photos of the Brandenburg gate, but the scale of this structure doesn’t really hit you until you visit in person. This vast 18th century triumphal arch was badly damaged in WW2 and not fully restored until the 21st century. It was also the site of one of the east-west border checkpoints in the cold war years. At night the gate is beautifully lit, to great effect with the horses and their chariot all gold and green on top of the arch.
A few minutes walk further on, past a closed wurst stand, I came to the Reichstag, the german parliament building, again vast in scale, and again masterfully illuminated, even the rain drenched flags beautifully bathed in light (as they wrapped themselves soggily round their poles in the breeze!). The Reichstag was damaged by fire in the early 1930s, survived WW2, but had to wait until reunification for complete restoration, overseen by the architect Norman Foster in the 1990s. I think I could probably have gone in to explore even though I was visiting 'out of hours' as such, because I saw a fair number of people processing through a portacabin at the front of the building; however dinner called, so I snapped a few quick snaps and wound up my brief walking tour.
Strolling slowly in the direction of the hotel, reviewing my pictures as I went, I noticed that some of the photos had weird amoeba like creatures seemingly hanging in the grey night skies. After a brief bit of unnecessary panicking that my camera might be broken I eventually realised that a few tiny raindrops were sitting on the lens, distorting my images. A quick wipe with my t-shirt and all was well, though I didn’t really have time to return to the Reichstag to take better photos before dinner. I resolved to come back another night to take some more shots (though never actually made it).
Walking back up Dorotheenstrasse I noticed for the first time the Fernsehturm, the old east german 60s television tower, one of the tallest structures in Europe, dominating the skyline to the north-east. The tower was almost torn down at the time the wall came down, seen as a symbol of the austere GDR years, but narrowly avoided destruction and is now one of the iconic symbols of the city. There's a rotating cafe at the top and I mentally pencilled in a visit (which again, never happened - detecting a theme here?!). Few more pictures snapped – again some of them compromised by rain amoebas, but on this occasion I had no worries about building up my photo archive later in the trip in better weather as the tower is visible from all over the city.
Back at the Maritim, I got dried off and then met up with my friend Gareth for a bite to eat in the Restaurant Berlin Tapas, around the back of the hotel. This was surprisingly good pitstop, with yummy things like generous whorls of salmon on potato rosti, german beer-battered chicken, and a mini version of the famous currywurst. I had been warned off the currywurst, but actually quite enjoyed it – pork sausage in a sweet and sour-like sauce. I had a couple of glasses of Riesling, Gareth a couple of beers, and the whole thing made all the sweeter by charging it to a company credit card at the end! The staff spoke good english and were friendly and helpful, although they underestimated how much we'd likely need to eat and we had to reorder our favourites all over again. Not an expensive outings - I think most of the tapas plates were only about 4 euros apiece.
Back up to my hotel room for a long soak in the bath before bed.
Next up – Nefertiti, apple strudel and cold war art!
Feb 16th, 2016, 07:41 AM
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Looking forward to the rest of the report. Three of us visited Berlin Jan 30-Feb 3.
The Reischtag does require a reservation. Across the street from the entrance (portacabin) you can reserve a slot (same day possible) but it's better to reserve on line to avoid waiting to book at this office. It may not appear that there is much of a line at th entrance but the reservations are made in groups of 25 at 15 min intervals. A guard checks you in against the reservation list that requires you to show a passport or ID. We had a 4:30 reservation that was fully booked on Feb 1.
The Reischtag does require a reservation. Across the street from the entrance (portacabin) you can reserve a slot (same day possible) but it's better to reserve on line to avoid waiting to book at this office. It may not appear that there is much of a line at th entrance but the reservations are made in groups of 25 at 15 min intervals. A guard checks you in against the reservation list that requires you to show a passport or ID. We had a 4:30 reservation that was fully booked on Feb 1.
Feb 17th, 2016, 06:36 AM
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Wednesday
I had a workshop to attend as the final part of my conference on Wednesday morning, but it was over well before lunchtime and I was out of the hotel and heading along Dorotheenstrasse (in the opposite direction to the previous night) by midday.
My first port of call as a free agent was to be Museum Island, specifically the Neueus. En-route I passed a delicatessen, university buildings and a fairly grand library, a theatre, posters plastered all over the railings outside, and endless webs of criss-crossing tram lines. Every now and then a yellow tram glided serenely past me, warning horns occasionally blaring out to alert wayward pedestrians.
I arrived at my destination in no time at all, crossed the thin sliver of the Spree separating it from ‘mainland’ Berlin and eventually managed to locate the Neues, (right in front of me all along, but partially obscured by scaffolding and with the entrance confusingly concealed on the other side of the building). I bought a ticket to enter from the kiosk alongside (most of the museums sell tickets inside as well, but the Neues seemed to be the only one specifying purchase from the external office), made my way up the steps and in through the doorway.
I’d come to see the Egyptian collection including the famous Nefertiti bust, but was directed away from the stairs leading toward the Armana galleries, and pointed toward a cloakroom down in the basement instead. The rule about leaving outer garments seemed to be being applied quite randomly – I had to hand over my long navy coat, but lots of people were walking round in shorter jackets that were still obvious outdoor brands, unintercepted by the staff. I didn’t really mind as it was quite warm inside and I had a cardigan on too. Oh – and I was allowed to keep my bag and camera with me.
Having deposited my coat with the attendant I decided to explore the exhibits on the lower level first since I was already down there. There were a number of Egyptian artefacts including impressive ushabti and some exquisite jewellery in gold and blue faience. The location worked really well, being a stone cellar with a vaulted ceiling – you actually felt as though you were seeing the exhibits in situ in a tomb. I then headed to the upper floors, admiring various Amarna-era sculptures, loving the clasped hands separated from their associated bodies centuries ago, and the lips floating Dali-esque in space, finally entering the room where the Nefertiti bust resides alone in a glass case. It’s a magnificent piece but I can understand why some people are convinced it must be a fake – the colours are incredibly vivid for such an old artefact. You aren’t allowed to take photos in here btw, and the light is kept very low indeed.
Feeling a bit peckish I next headed for the café, which was quite small (long and thin, galley style) but a welcome oasis away from all the school parties, smartly furnished with wooden tables and comfy banquettes. There was an excellent light menu with quite an Italian flavour - lots of rustic sounding sandwiches and salads, names themed around exhibits, and some good old fashioned Teutonic baking. The waiters seemed to be mostly Italian or Spanish and were all very friendly and very efficient. I ordered an apple strudel, my waiter insisting I had both cream and ice cream with it when I dithered over choosing between the two. The strudel was really excellent, plenty of good spicing, and accompanied by a decent cup of coffee.
Sustenance scoffed I checked out both the gift shops – small but full of tasteful items, mercifully little tat. There were very convincing replicas of some of the artworks – including the clasped hands I’d loved – ranging from around 70 euros up to several hundred euros. Lots of great stuff for kids too, including quite cool pencil tins in the shape of sarcophagi.
Collecting my coat, I headed out of the museum, walking further east toward my next point of interest – Alexanderplatz. My aim here was to see the gargantuan TV tower at closer quarters, take in some of the brutalist architecture from the GDR era, and most of all, find a U-bahn or S-bahn station where I could buy some sort of transport pass, now that I was looking to venture further afield.
Alexanderplatz was just a short walk from the museum and my route afforded good views of the TV tower juxtaposed with an older church tower. The platz itself was an open, windy space bounded by 60s concrete tower blocks and offices, bustling with people. There was also a mid-century water feature with strange metal ‘plants’ that looked quite impressive. I don’t think the area would be to everyone’s taste, but it gave a good flavour of how life in the east must have been in contrast to some of the posher bits of Mitte and the park and villa suburbs I would visit later on the trip.
At Alexanderplatz S-bahn station I bought three day’s worth of unlimited travel (S-bahn, U-bahn, trams and buses, all for 21 Euros). The S-bahn is a partially elevated suburban railway, the U-bahn largely underground, trams and buses self-explanatory! My first use of the service was the S75 service to Ostbanhof taking me further east to see the Berlin wall. Nb with the day passes you just validate your ticket at the machine on the platform the first time you are using it, no need to revalidate for every leg of the trip - so I did this and awaited my transport, which arrived quite promptly. Actually, I never had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes for a train during the whole of my trip. The S-bahn trains were uncrowded, warm and comfortable for shortish journeys, and became my preferred mode of transport for the duration of my visit.
I had read that not much of the wall had survived, but one fairly long stretch (over half a mile in fact) had been preserved and painted with murals by multiple artists around the time of the reunification, now renamed East Side Gallery and said to be one of the biggest open air art galleries in the world. I particularly wanted to see the famous kiss mural depicting Honecker and Brezhnev (full title ‘My God, Help Me To Survive This Deadly Love’.
The weather was bitterly cold by the time I arrived at the wall, but the vivid murals were so engrossing I forgot my numb fingers and spent hours wandering up and down happily taking shots. The kiss mural had attracted a large number of visitors, but I thought many of the other paintings equally compelling. The images seemed to divide into two camps – peace and hope (lots of doves and happy smiley figures in the sunshine or verdant gardens) or dystopian reminders of the past (gas-masked figures, prying eyes peeping from behind curtains, tortured faces bleeding from orifices, and escapees being pursued over the wall).
Satiated by art I headed back to the station, and being a bit peckish decided I’d try out one of the brotchen shops or stalls uniquitous along the transit system. These little outlets sell sandwiches made with traditional dark german breads, stuffed with salamis, sausage, cheeses, pickles and salads. I paired my sandwich with a bottle of apple juice and sat at one of the counters to eat my very very late lunch.
Over my sandwich I decided that I wanted to head back to Alexanderplatz to take some more photos of the TV tower and concrete and neon plaza, this time illuminated at night, but since it wasn’t yet quite dark enough, I headed back to the hotel first for a breather. After a bit of a rest I ventured out again, retracing my earlier steps but noticing how much quieter the area round Museum Island now was. Back to the bustle of the plaza for my photo op, where I snapped away for a while, before heading to the S Bahn to get the train home due to the late hour/safety (and tbh my feet were hurting a fair bit by now anyway!)
Getting off at Friedrichstrasse I noticed a Vietnamese restaurant opposite the station exit and headed in for a bite to eat. A poster on the wall behind the counter advertised various delicious looking take away options in cute American style Chinese takeout containers. There was no one serving at the counter, and no-one eating in the attached restaurant, and I perhaps should have taken this as a hint, but my rumbly tummy persuaded me to ignore the obvious and I hung around until someone finally came through the beaded curtain to help. A young Asian woman (surely that’s a good sign?) took my order, and I selected a box with noodles, chicken and lovely looking wilted Asian greens. The portion was generous for 3.5 euros, but unfortunately didn’t taste great – the meat had an unadventurous boiled flavour (inoffensive but bland) and the seasoning on the noodles was overly salty like a stock cube had been crumbled straight onto it. All in all like a giant studenty pot noodle. Nibbled a bit, binned the rest and went home to my hotel to raid the minibar
I had a workshop to attend as the final part of my conference on Wednesday morning, but it was over well before lunchtime and I was out of the hotel and heading along Dorotheenstrasse (in the opposite direction to the previous night) by midday.
My first port of call as a free agent was to be Museum Island, specifically the Neueus. En-route I passed a delicatessen, university buildings and a fairly grand library, a theatre, posters plastered all over the railings outside, and endless webs of criss-crossing tram lines. Every now and then a yellow tram glided serenely past me, warning horns occasionally blaring out to alert wayward pedestrians.
I arrived at my destination in no time at all, crossed the thin sliver of the Spree separating it from ‘mainland’ Berlin and eventually managed to locate the Neues, (right in front of me all along, but partially obscured by scaffolding and with the entrance confusingly concealed on the other side of the building). I bought a ticket to enter from the kiosk alongside (most of the museums sell tickets inside as well, but the Neues seemed to be the only one specifying purchase from the external office), made my way up the steps and in through the doorway.
I’d come to see the Egyptian collection including the famous Nefertiti bust, but was directed away from the stairs leading toward the Armana galleries, and pointed toward a cloakroom down in the basement instead. The rule about leaving outer garments seemed to be being applied quite randomly – I had to hand over my long navy coat, but lots of people were walking round in shorter jackets that were still obvious outdoor brands, unintercepted by the staff. I didn’t really mind as it was quite warm inside and I had a cardigan on too. Oh – and I was allowed to keep my bag and camera with me.
Having deposited my coat with the attendant I decided to explore the exhibits on the lower level first since I was already down there. There were a number of Egyptian artefacts including impressive ushabti and some exquisite jewellery in gold and blue faience. The location worked really well, being a stone cellar with a vaulted ceiling – you actually felt as though you were seeing the exhibits in situ in a tomb. I then headed to the upper floors, admiring various Amarna-era sculptures, loving the clasped hands separated from their associated bodies centuries ago, and the lips floating Dali-esque in space, finally entering the room where the Nefertiti bust resides alone in a glass case. It’s a magnificent piece but I can understand why some people are convinced it must be a fake – the colours are incredibly vivid for such an old artefact. You aren’t allowed to take photos in here btw, and the light is kept very low indeed.
Feeling a bit peckish I next headed for the café, which was quite small (long and thin, galley style) but a welcome oasis away from all the school parties, smartly furnished with wooden tables and comfy banquettes. There was an excellent light menu with quite an Italian flavour - lots of rustic sounding sandwiches and salads, names themed around exhibits, and some good old fashioned Teutonic baking. The waiters seemed to be mostly Italian or Spanish and were all very friendly and very efficient. I ordered an apple strudel, my waiter insisting I had both cream and ice cream with it when I dithered over choosing between the two. The strudel was really excellent, plenty of good spicing, and accompanied by a decent cup of coffee.
Sustenance scoffed I checked out both the gift shops – small but full of tasteful items, mercifully little tat. There were very convincing replicas of some of the artworks – including the clasped hands I’d loved – ranging from around 70 euros up to several hundred euros. Lots of great stuff for kids too, including quite cool pencil tins in the shape of sarcophagi.
Collecting my coat, I headed out of the museum, walking further east toward my next point of interest – Alexanderplatz. My aim here was to see the gargantuan TV tower at closer quarters, take in some of the brutalist architecture from the GDR era, and most of all, find a U-bahn or S-bahn station where I could buy some sort of transport pass, now that I was looking to venture further afield.
Alexanderplatz was just a short walk from the museum and my route afforded good views of the TV tower juxtaposed with an older church tower. The platz itself was an open, windy space bounded by 60s concrete tower blocks and offices, bustling with people. There was also a mid-century water feature with strange metal ‘plants’ that looked quite impressive. I don’t think the area would be to everyone’s taste, but it gave a good flavour of how life in the east must have been in contrast to some of the posher bits of Mitte and the park and villa suburbs I would visit later on the trip.
At Alexanderplatz S-bahn station I bought three day’s worth of unlimited travel (S-bahn, U-bahn, trams and buses, all for 21 Euros). The S-bahn is a partially elevated suburban railway, the U-bahn largely underground, trams and buses self-explanatory! My first use of the service was the S75 service to Ostbanhof taking me further east to see the Berlin wall. Nb with the day passes you just validate your ticket at the machine on the platform the first time you are using it, no need to revalidate for every leg of the trip - so I did this and awaited my transport, which arrived quite promptly. Actually, I never had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes for a train during the whole of my trip. The S-bahn trains were uncrowded, warm and comfortable for shortish journeys, and became my preferred mode of transport for the duration of my visit.
I had read that not much of the wall had survived, but one fairly long stretch (over half a mile in fact) had been preserved and painted with murals by multiple artists around the time of the reunification, now renamed East Side Gallery and said to be one of the biggest open air art galleries in the world. I particularly wanted to see the famous kiss mural depicting Honecker and Brezhnev (full title ‘My God, Help Me To Survive This Deadly Love’.
The weather was bitterly cold by the time I arrived at the wall, but the vivid murals were so engrossing I forgot my numb fingers and spent hours wandering up and down happily taking shots. The kiss mural had attracted a large number of visitors, but I thought many of the other paintings equally compelling. The images seemed to divide into two camps – peace and hope (lots of doves and happy smiley figures in the sunshine or verdant gardens) or dystopian reminders of the past (gas-masked figures, prying eyes peeping from behind curtains, tortured faces bleeding from orifices, and escapees being pursued over the wall).
Satiated by art I headed back to the station, and being a bit peckish decided I’d try out one of the brotchen shops or stalls uniquitous along the transit system. These little outlets sell sandwiches made with traditional dark german breads, stuffed with salamis, sausage, cheeses, pickles and salads. I paired my sandwich with a bottle of apple juice and sat at one of the counters to eat my very very late lunch.
Over my sandwich I decided that I wanted to head back to Alexanderplatz to take some more photos of the TV tower and concrete and neon plaza, this time illuminated at night, but since it wasn’t yet quite dark enough, I headed back to the hotel first for a breather. After a bit of a rest I ventured out again, retracing my earlier steps but noticing how much quieter the area round Museum Island now was. Back to the bustle of the plaza for my photo op, where I snapped away for a while, before heading to the S Bahn to get the train home due to the late hour/safety (and tbh my feet were hurting a fair bit by now anyway!)
Getting off at Friedrichstrasse I noticed a Vietnamese restaurant opposite the station exit and headed in for a bite to eat. A poster on the wall behind the counter advertised various delicious looking take away options in cute American style Chinese takeout containers. There was no one serving at the counter, and no-one eating in the attached restaurant, and I perhaps should have taken this as a hint, but my rumbly tummy persuaded me to ignore the obvious and I hung around until someone finally came through the beaded curtain to help. A young Asian woman (surely that’s a good sign?) took my order, and I selected a box with noodles, chicken and lovely looking wilted Asian greens. The portion was generous for 3.5 euros, but unfortunately didn’t taste great – the meat had an unadventurous boiled flavour (inoffensive but bland) and the seasoning on the noodles was overly salty like a stock cube had been crumbled straight onto it. All in all like a giant studenty pot noodle. Nibbled a bit, binned the rest and went home to my hotel to raid the minibar
Feb 17th, 2016, 06:54 AM
#18
Join Date: May 2005
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This is great. I can picture you on your travels through Berlin. The transport system is superb isn't it. And I remember being freezing about this time of year and there was fine drizzle too which made me feel like I was walking through frozen mist!
Did you 'Walk the Wall'? Somewhere we found a route, well signposted, that took us all round the former wall with parts of it restored and with information boards. Could see the nasty watchtowers that had been preserved untouched and some houses around Bernauer Str I think. And yes, the East Side Gallery is fun isn't it.
Missing your gourmet experiences on previous threads!
Did you 'Walk the Wall'? Somewhere we found a route, well signposted, that took us all round the former wall with parts of it restored and with information boards. Could see the nasty watchtowers that had been preserved untouched and some houses around Bernauer Str I think. And yes, the East Side Gallery is fun isn't it.
Missing your gourmet experiences on previous threads!
Feb 17th, 2016, 07:02 AM
#19
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Hi Gertie - I didn't do the walk (wish I'd know about it before I went) and I didn't see any of the watchtowers either. There was a huge tower painted entirely black and in the same shape as lighthouse which I saw repeatedly from the railway in the east, but I've tried looking it up since I got back and it doesn't appear to have been one of them. I was actually in the Treptower area at one point so god knows how I missed that one!
I mostly ate sandwiches, snacks and baked goods this time round (and was very well fed whilst at the conference anyway), but I do have some slightly more exciting grubbing coming up in the next installment where I visit KaDeWe.
I mostly ate sandwiches, snacks and baked goods this time round (and was very well fed whilst at the conference anyway), but I do have some slightly more exciting grubbing coming up in the next installment where I visit KaDeWe.
